Q-Cells and Hanwha: Solar Geopolitics Gets Messy

The creditors of the German company agreed to the sale with a vote on Wednesday, though the sale still requires regulatory approval before it’s finalized. Hanwha will gain a sterling silicon solar cell maker by buying Q-Cells, which was the reigning cell maker back in 2008, before it ceded the spot thanks to the financial market crash and the rise of well-financed Chinese solar cell makers. Though silicon solar technology was the core of its technology portfolio, Q-Cells, when it was in better financial health, experimented with different thin film processes and gambled with the idea of using refined, metallurgical-grade silicon as a substitute for the more expensive and purer silicon to make cells. It also entered into the solar power plant development business. The company filed for bankruptcy in April this year. Despite its financial trouble, Q-Cells remains a symbol of...